More Than Just Hot Air: How A Once-Poor Country In Europe Is Inspiring America To Harness Its Untapped Geothermal Potential

With the chilling and destructive effects of Climate Change evident in our world today, the need to find clean and renewable sources of energy as alternatives to coal and oil is now, more than ever, of the utmost importance.

Numerous efforts have been launched to shift the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and so far, a number of countries have come out victorious in their respective crusades to finally shift into more sustainable sources. In a viral video posted on the Facebook page We Can Solve This, Iceland’s impressive feat of providing electricity to 90% of its residents and industries by using 100% renewable sources was put into the spotlight.

Source: https://i2.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/

Iceland, a geologically and volcanically active island country located in the North Atlantic prides itself as one of the countries that run virtually on renewable energy. Iceland’s current status as a clean energy producing country began in the early 1900’s when they began to harness the power to produce energy in 1904. By 1907, the abundant subterranean heat was tapped as a heating source and later, an energy source. The abundance of these natural resources has allowed Iceland to become industrially independent of coal and oil, allowing 9 out of 10 households in the country to enjoy cheap, clean and sustainable electricity. This has also been the driving force for their economy where residents enjoy political, social and economic stability in the form of low taxes, free education and subsidized healthcare.

Source: http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/

As a forerunner in the race towards cleaner sources of energy, it was inevitable that other countries would take notice, and one of those countries following in Iceland’s lead is the United States of America. In the video clip, America’s plans of harnessing its abundant geothermal energy stores are in the works with 64 geothermal plants now in operation in the United States. Another step forward is the infusion of funding by the Department of Energy into the establishment of the Forge Project, a project that aims to develop and properly utilize the resource through extensive research in the hope of providing cleaner energy while opening more economic possibilities for its citizens in the form of employment and jobs.